BAE wins Navy minesweeping sensor contract

150501-N-VO234-059 SOUTH CHINA SEA (May 1, 2015) An MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aircraft system, from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35, performs ground turns aboard the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3). Currently on a 16-month rotational deployment in support of the Indo-Asia-Pacific Rebalance, Fort Worth is a fast and agile warship tailor-made to patrol the region’s littorals and work hull-to-hull with partner navies, providing 7th Fleet with the flexible capabilities it needs now and in the future. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Conor Minto/Released)

BAE Systems Spectral Solutions has been awarded an $8.9 million Navy contract to detect sea mines.

Under the two-year Passive Electro-Optics/Infrared and Light Detection and Ranging Environment for In-stride Classification and Neutralization contract, BAE will develop a suite of airborne sensors to detect and classify mines, according to the Department of Defense contract announcement. The sensor suite will consist of a visible-to-near-infrared (VNIR) multi-spectral imaging (MSI) sensor, a broadband long-wave infrared sensor, and a 2-D light detection and ranging LIDAR sensor.

The prototype will consist of two identical pods that will be tested on an MH-60 helicopter or Fire Scout unmanned helicopter.